InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Red Eyes, Warm Heart ❯ True Friendship, True Love ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 01.06.2006 | Updated On: 09.17.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 11.0K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 01.06.2006 | Updated On: 09.17.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 11.0K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 3 – True Friendship, True Love
After tracking Inuyasha’s scent for a while, Kirara and the following humans eventually came upon a small clearing. The area reeked of oni blood and several of the surrounding trees were damaged, a clear indicator that a battle had taken place. There were also a few of Kagome’s arrows imbedded into some of the trees, where she must have missed a shot. It was true that for such a clumsy-looking beast, the oni had been surprisingly agile. Then they saw it, Tetsusaiga, lodged in the bark of one of the trees. The blade must have been knocked free with a powerful force, and Inuyasha must not have had time to retrieve it. The oni must have gotten the upper hand shortly afterwards, thus resulting in Inuyasha’s transformation. But one thing was troublesome, though. They had both believed that Kagome had most likely gotten Inuyasha to calm down by subduing him and then quickly giving him his sword, the most tried and true method used for getting him to revert back into his hanyou form. So if the Tetsusaiga was still lodged in the tree where it had flown once Inuyasha had initially lost his grip of it, then how had he changed back into a hanyou? Had the transformation just…worn off? That didn’t seem likely. And what of Kagome? As they had originally been following after the pull of Inuyasha’s demonic aura, Miroku had sensed their hanyou friend’s youki go from its transformed state straight into almost nonexistence, which had indicated to him that Inuyasha had probably fallen asleep, or much more likely under the circumstances, had been knocked unconscious. But what could have done that to him, truly? Had Kagome been forced to purify him? Was the disappearance of his demonic aura actually the result of him temporarily turning human? Miroku did know that if that were the case, the purification had been temporary, because he could now sense a stronger pull from Inuyasha’s youki, their friend’s aura once more back at the normal levels he was used to. The hanyou was definitely awake, and definitely a hanyou again. Knowing that regardless of what had happened, Inuyasha was at least physically unharmed, both the monk and slayer remained mostly concerned about what had become of their miko friend. Kagome would probably never forgive herself if she had been forced to hurt Inuyasha with her spiritual powers, and Inuyasha would definitely never forgive himself if he had come after her in his full-youkai state.
Quickly going about the clearing collecting as many of Kagome’s arrows as could be salvaged, Sango then headed over to the Tetsusaiga, gripping the blade firmly and wiggling it up and down a few times as she pulled until it eventually came free. Miroku gathered Kagome’s fallen bow and quiver, taking the arrows and sword from Sango while the slayer worried her bottom lip at the sight of the miko’s discarded weapon.
“You know how she is.” Miroku spoke up, reading her worry. “Inuyasha probably ran off in his transformation, perhaps giving chase of the oni if it managed to escape for a moment, and Kagome-sama most likely ran after him.”
“Without taking him Tetsusaiga?” the slayer questioned.
He sighed in answer, truthfully sharing her concerns.
Kirara mewed in that moment, indicating the way to continue, and stepping inline behind the feline, they followed her to their answers. It didn’t take too long for them to find themselves in another, smaller clearing, with the sound of a stream trickling in the background. At first glance, the place almost seemed tranquil, until one took notice of the rotting oni corpse dismembered off to the side.
“Well, it seems that Inuyasha was ultimately victorious.” Miroku stated, almost emotionlessly, as their primary concern at the moment remained Kagome.
“Houshi-sama!” Sango cried suddenly, immediately earning the monk’s attention. He felt his heart leap up into his throat when he saw what Sango was holding, the tattered remains of Kagome’s school uniform.
Kirara’s meow got both of their attentions in that moment, as she sniffed and pawed around in an area on the grass that seemed flattened, as if someone had laid there. As they examined the ground more closely, both humans took note of how the area was actually coated in little droplets of blood. Blood splatter was everywhere, and it was a fairly good distance away from the dead oni. While there wasn’t anywhere near enough blood to indicate another person’s death, neither Sango nor Miroku needed a heightened sense of smell to determine what had happened on that flattened patch of grass.
Sniffing slowly, Kirara tracked the miko and hanyou’s scents down to the edge of the spring, and turning her head to mew at her companions, she took off downstream. Miroku and Sango immediately ran after her, not seeing anything right away as they followed the curve of the forest, though as soon as they rounded the bend they each felt a tremendous wave of relief wash over them. Had they been wrong, after all?
There was Inuyasha, crouched down by the edge of the water, washing his hands. And there was Kagome, dressed in Inuyasha’s suikan, sitting not too far away on a low bolder, a distinctly happy expression on her face as she turned to greet their approach.
“Hey guys.” she said in a fairly normal tone of voice.
“Kagome-chan!” Sango cried in relief, running up to her friend.
She didn’t miss the mark on Kagome’s shoulder, which the miko hadn’t even bothered trying to hide with her hair, and immediately, the sinking feeling in the pit of Sango’s stomach was back with a vengeance at the realization that they hadn’t been wrong, after all. Or at least not entirely.
“Kagome-chan, are you…okay?” she asked her friend quietly, the shredded remains of white and green cloth still clutched firmly in her hands.
“I’m fine, Sango-chan.” Kagome answered, though she didn’t look ‘fine’ by the taijiya’s standards.
Looking the miko over, Sango noticed several injuries, and could only imagine how many more the fire-rat robe was concealing. Kagome had nasty, albeit thin slashes running down both arms, and what she could see of her legs, her shoes and socks speckled with blood. She obviously got those slashes during her ‘undressing’. She also had a matching set of deep puncture wounds on her shoulders that also looked like they were caused by claws, probably from being gripped tightly, not to mention the bite mark further in on her right shoulder, halfway on her neck, and that mark could only mean one thing.
Standing up from her seat on the bolder while her friend looked her over, Kagome could smell Sango’s concern and knew it was only a matter of time before the questions started.
“Kagome, what happened?” Sango asked then, her eyes flicking to Inuyasha’s position for a moment before shifting back to meet Kagome’s gaze. Inuyasha was well within earshot, though the hanyou appeared to be ignoring them as he concentrated on scrubbing his hands, a few grumbled curses leaving his lips on occasion.
Seeing the way Sango shifted her gaze to Inuyasha, Kagome too turned to look over her shoulder in his direction, wondering what she should say in his presence. They had barely gotten things worked out between them when their friends arrived, so the subject was definitely still a touchy one, especially if the way he cursed at the lingering scent of her blood on his hands was any indication.
Turning back Sango’s way, Kagome shrugged the best she could, not missing the way Sango’s eyes darted to her mark for a second, before she stated, “Well, as I’m sure you guys probably sensed, Inuyasha transformed during his battle with the oni, but he was able to kill it in the end, so when we go back to pick up Shippou-chan we can inform the village headman that his people no longer have anything to worry about.”
“Kagome-chan…” Sango sighed, leaning forward to pull her friend into a hug while simultaneously whispering in her ear… “I was so scared. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that you were in trouble, and now look at you.”
“I’m fine, Sango-chan.” Kagome assured her friend quietly, though she was sure Inuyasha had heard both her and the slayer’s words.
“You are not fine.” Sango argued, though she knew it had to be hard on the miko. She knew how deeply Kagome loved Inuyasha, and it was true that the hanyou was not really himself during a transformation. She could believe that Kagome had it within her to forgive him almost anything, but even this?
“You’re injured.” she settled upon after a moment, still keeping her voice down. It wasn’t really any of her business, but then again Kagome was her friend, and the way she was acting so causal gave the slayer pause after a moment. “Were you able to stop him before…” She couldn’t say it, but she desperately needed to know.
“Before…?” Kagome echoed with a raised eyebrow.
“You know…” Sango hinted.
Sudden splashing caught both of their attentions as they turned to glance in Inuyasha’s direction, observing with mixed emotions the way he suddenly stomped through the spring, heading further downstream along the opposite bank, Miroku in quick pursuit from their side of the water.
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Though Miroku couldn’t hear their conversation, he knew what Sango was likely asking Kagome about. Whatever truths might be revealed, the monk was relieved to know that she was relatively uninjured, and, judging by her disposition, she was also in good spirits. When he caught glimpse of Inuyasha stomping off further downstream from the other side of the spring, he took it upon himself to follow.
Realizing that Inuyasha’s hearing might be better than Sango had anticipated, it occurred to Miroku that Inuyasha had likely overheard something he probably wished he hadn’t. Guessing then that he’d also hear him, he called out before he reached within what would have been a human’s earshot.
“Inuyasha! Please, may I speak with you a moment?”
The lack of sarcasm mixed with genuine concern he detected in the monk’s voice prompted him to stop, though he didn’t turn around, nor say anything even as Miroku reached him and stopped parallel to him, their positions only separated by the stream.
“Could you come over here please?” Miroku asked politely.
Still without turning to look at his friend, Inuyasha finally spoke, though only one word at first. “Why?”
“Because I would like to speak with you, if I may.” was Miroku’s response.
“Keh, I can hear you just fine.”
“That’s not all….”
That got Inuyasha’s attention, as he turned his head ever so slightly, so he could glance his eyes sideways at the monk who stood at the edge of the water on the opposite bank.
“I have your sword.” Miroku stated, as he held out Tetsusaiga for his friend to take, despite the reach being much too far where Inuyasha currently stood.
“Keh” was his only response as he stomped back through the water rather than leaping over it, which he easily could have done, not carrying how much he was splashing as he got Miroku more than a little wet, grabbing Tetsusaiga as he trudged passed the houshi before plopping himself down against the back of the closest tree.
Turning to approach his friend, ignoring his now soaked left leg for the moment, Miroku walked right up to where Inuyasha sat. Sitting down before his friend, the houshi suddenly grabbed the sides of Inuyasha’s face, in order to look into his eyes.
“What the hell is your problem?” the hanyou spat as he swatted Miroku’s hands away.
In that instant, Miroku was convinced he saw the red and puffy after effects of crying in his friend’s eyes. Taking a gamble on what his reaction was going to be, he said the first thing that came to his mind, knowing too, like Sango, exactly what had transpired.
“You do love her, do you not?”
“Of course I love her!” was not the immediate response Miroku had been expecting, nor was it honestly the response Inuyasha had intended to give, though the words had simply come bubbling up from within him before he could hold them back. He was going to be more open with his emotions from that point onward, he realized, thanks to Kagome’s influence, her very essence residing within him because of their bond.
Taken aback by the unexpected admittance, Miroku tried to think of the best thing to say next. He immediately recalled the beautiful smile Kagome had graced them with upon his and Sango’s initial arrival.
“She does not seem to be too upset regarding current events.” the monk commented then.
He both heard and saw Inuyasha sigh, as the hanyou slumped himself back against the tree he was leaning against.
“She…” he began, barely a whisper. “She isn’t upset, she forgives me.” He sounded displeased with that fact.
“And you do not want her forgiveness?” Miroku asked for clarification.
“I don’t deserve it.”
“But would that not be for Kagome-sama to decide?”
Growling low in frustration, Inuyasha glared across at Miroku as he stated, “I’m supposed to protect her, not go after her like some kind of animal.”
“Is that what happened?”
“I…I don’t remember.” he confessed, his words once again barely more than a whisper.
“Well, then…” Miroku began, doing his best to sound as cheery as he figured the situation would allow. “Maybe things are not as bad as you fear. After all, I doubt she would have been sporting that big smile of hers if it was so horrible, right?”
Inuyasha glared at Miroku, his lip curling in disgust, causing the monk to raise his hands placatingly.
“I’m not trying to be a hentai right now, Inuyasha, but maybe she was willing. After all, we all know how much she loves you.”
Inuyasha shook his head.
“You…” he began hesitantly, his voice catching in his throat as he looked down at his ‘clean’ hands, the scent of Kagome’s blood still lingering under his claws. “You didn’t see…what I did…to her body.”
Miroku looked down at his friend’s hands when he saw Inuyasha examining them in such a way that it suggested he was horrified with his own being. Sighing, the monk knew he could only imagine, and he didn’t really want to imagine it. It was clear Inuyasha had awoken from his transformation with Kagome’s blood on his claws. But at least the miko appeared to be relatively unharmed, so that had to count for something, right? Suddenly noticing something else, above his hand and concealed mostly by the narrow sleeve of his kosode, Miroku reached forward before the hanyou had time to pull back from his grasp.
Inuyasha had been so enthralled with his own hands at that moment that he didn’t register the motion of Miroku reaching for him until it was too late, his right hand gripped firmly in his friend’s own. Seeing the purple cloth and sealing beads quickly reminded the hanyou that he wasn’t the only one among them with dangerous hands, yet Miroku never let his curse get him down, did he? If anything, he used it for comic relief at times, claiming it was the ‘cursed hand’ that caused him to grope Sango so shamelessly, or falling back on his need for an heir to excuse his inappropriate propositioning of random village girls. As the hanyou continued to gaze down at his hand now held in Miroku’s grasp, it took him a moment to register the monk’s voice.
“Instead of focusing on those…” Miroku began, running his fingers carefully over Inuyasha’s claws before gripping the edge of his sleeve, pushing the white fabric up to expose Kagome’s bonding mark. “Why don’t you focus on this?” he asked.
“Kagome…” Inuyasha sighed under his breath, still smelling her scent in his mark, the initial wound left from his own fangs completely healed by that point to reveal an incandescent scar in the shape of Kagome’s own teeth, no trace of his own saliva present in its scent.
Miroku had not been close enough to Kagome to take note of the mark on her neck, but he knew a bonding mark when he saw a bonding mark, and in order for Kagome to have finalized the union, it obviously meant that Inuyasha had marked her first, or her human teeth wouldn’t have possessed such magic. His mark upon Kagome could have been forced, but it would fade without meaning if the bond weren’t completed.
“If you simply went after her like an animal…” Miroku began again after a moment, repeating Inuyasha’s earlier words back to him. “Would she have marked you?”
Inuyasha’s response was to drag his eyes up away from his mark to meet Miroku’s gaze, his golden eyes wavering with unshed tears before suddenly pulling the man before him into a hug.
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< br> Sighing as she observed Miroku chase after her mate, Kagome turned back to meet Sango’s eyes, her initial hesitance to be blunt suddenly nonexistent as she asked the slayer point blank, “You want to know if he raped me, right?”
Sango faltered for a moment, but then swallowing hard, she nodded, her eyes locked with her friend’s.
“He didn’t rape me, Sango-chan.”
“But…” the slayer began, hesitantly glancing down to the shredded clothing in her hands, which included Kagome’s underwear. “But that is a claiming mark, Kagome-chan. He wouldn’t have given you that if he didn’t plan on-”
“I didn’t say we didn’t have sex.” the miko interrupted, causing Sango to snap her mouth shut, her eyes wide in shock, mostly at Kagome’s boldness. “Inuyasha didn’t rape me, but he did mate with me, and I…” Pausing at the memory, a genuine smile grew across Kagome’s lips as she added, “…and I willingly mated him in return. He bears my mark, we are bonded.”
Sango gasped at that revelation. Kagome had willfully drank of his blood in return, completing the bond? But still…
The miko couldn’t miss the way Sango gazed back down at her shredded clothing one last time.
“I’ll admit it,” the miko confessed with a bizarre fondness in her voice that seemed inappropriate to the slayer given their current subject, “He was very rough in the beginning, but I don’t think he meant to hurt me. After shredding my clothes, he took the time to clean each of my wounds with his tongue.”
Kagome blushed suddenly, not at that confession, but at the reminder of just what else he had done with that talented tongue of his.
“And you are certain that you are not truly injured?” Sango asked for clarification, needing to be sure.
“He didn’t seriously injure me at all, nothing’s broken or bruised. Aside from some shallow cuts and a couple of deeper puncture wounds, I’m fine, and thanks to the youkai blood in my system, I should be completely healed in a day.”
Sango couldn’t deny the sincerity of her friend’s words. It would also appear that she hadn’t been broken mentally, though the slayer did want to take a moment to make absolutely sure her friend was all right in that department before Inuyasha and Miroku returned.
“And he didn’t force you to drink his blood, completing the bond against your will?”
“Uh…” Kagome hesitated with a silly grin. “He was kind of insistent, you could say, but I did know what it meant, thanks to our talk from before, and I did comply without resisting him. I don’t regret the snap decision. You know how long I’ve loved him. And now he’s chosen me. Me, not Kikyou; he knew it was me he was mating, even in his full-youkai state.” Kagome explained with a giant grin. “He said my name.”
Kagome saw the persistent look of concern finally melt from her friend’s gaze at those words, as Sango came to accept the fact that Kagome truly was all right in mind, body and soul. The girls continued to talk, then, more like how Kagome had always imagined talking with her best girlfriend about her first sexual experience with a guy, sans some of the more intimate details, of course. She explained to Sango in greater detail how she had first approached Inuyasha after he’d killed the oni, and how he had not acted hostile towards her at all, but rather, had immediately called her ‘Mine’ and ‘Mate’, as he began undressing her. Kagome was still confused as to how Inuyasha had switched modes so unexpectedly, but the youkai mind was a confusing thing for humans to understand. A lot of it had to do with instinct. Sango explained in that moment that Inuyasha had likely recognized the fact that he knew her and that she was not a threat, and considering her love for him, something else he would have been able to sense in her, it had been a logical deduction for his simplistic mind to conclude that she was his mate. The fact that they had not yet been bonded at the time was probably what had driven him to complete the act right then and there, wanting to make sure she was properly claimed before somebody else could take her away. Whatever the reason, it was over and done with now. Kagome was his, and he was hers, and despite the mildly traumatic and unexpected way it had come about, Kagome honestly couldn’t be happier. Yes, if she were given the option, she would change how their first encounter had gone down, but if she were given the opportunity simply to erase what had been, going back to the way things used to be between them, then she would tell whatever wizard had offered her that option to forget it. She was Inuyasha’s mate and that was how it was going to stay.
Kagome then went on to explain to Sango all of the various changes she’d noticed in herself since their bond had taken effect, including her heightened senses and her ability to ‘smell’ emotions, for lack of a better description. She had also realized that she could actually sense Inuyasha’s emotions on an even deeper level than she could scent the mood of others, almost as if she could feel his very heart within her own. She hadn’t realized just how strongly she could sense Inuyasha’s emotions until Miroku and Sango had shown up, and she’d realized that while she could still smell their moods, she couldn’t really feel them like she could Inuyasha. It wasn’t just one-sided, either, the slayer informed her friend in that moment. Inuyasha could undoubtedly sense Kagome just as strongly as she could sense him, though that was perfectly all right with the miko. She loved the idea of her and Inuyasha sharing such a deep connection, as they each had a little part of the other living inside of them. Sango also told the miko that Inuyasha would probably become more open with his emotions, even as she teased her friend that she had better not develop any of Inuyasha’s less than favorable personality traits.
“Feh.” Kagome replied, only in jest, causing both of the girls to laugh.
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Inuyasha pulled back from the hug as quickly as he’d leaned forward, humiliated at his unplanned show of emotion, though he was inwardly rejoicing at the knowledge that he had such a good friend. Miroku accepted him for what he was, and had gotten him to see that he wasn’t really the monster he’d feared himself to be. Inuyasha did know that Kagome still loved him, and he and the miko had already established that everything between them would be okay, but part of him had still been terrified over what their friends’ reactions were going to be. That was why he hadn’t been able to hang around listening to Sango beat around the bush, trying to get it out of Kagome whether or not he’d raped her. It didn’t matter what answer his mate gave the slayer, the truth was the truth, and the truth was that he had forced himself upon her, regardless of whatever she tried to say in his defense. He didn’t need to remember what had happened, the slash marks on her body were the only proof he needed. Still, since she forgave him, and Miroku didn’t appear to have a problem with him, he would do whatever he could to put it all behind him. Kagome was his mate now, and in the end, that was really all that mattered.
It was with that last thought in mind that the hanyou decided they should probably get back to the others, as he rose to his feet before offering a hand to assist Miroku up. The simple gesture did not go unnoticed by the houshi, considering Inuyasha’s previous reservations about his hands. If he could trust himself so soon to use those same hands to help a friend, then he would be just fine. Turning to head back upstream, then, Inuyasha began rubbing the mark on his arm in a similar way to how they had each rubbed their marks earlier, figuring Kagome would probably feel it and understand the sensation to mean that they were on their way back.
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The girls continued to talk for a few minutes longer until Kagome suddenly paused, reaching a hand up to her neck.
“Is something the matter?” Sango asked with mild concern.
“No, Inuyasha was just calling me. I think he and Miroku are on their way back.”
“Well, it’s getting late, and this seems to be a fairly secluded location, so we should probably just camp out here for the rest of the night before returning to the village.” Sango stated then, not getting any complaints from the miko. Their current position downstream was far enough away from the oni’s remains that they shouldn’t be bothered by any scavengers.
Kagome’s response was to nod as she stood up, lifting her arm to wave to the two approaching figures in the distance.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 3 – True Friendship, True Love
After tracking Inuyasha’s scent for a while, Kirara and the following humans eventually came upon a small clearing. The area reeked of oni blood and several of the surrounding trees were damaged, a clear indicator that a battle had taken place. There were also a few of Kagome’s arrows imbedded into some of the trees, where she must have missed a shot. It was true that for such a clumsy-looking beast, the oni had been surprisingly agile. Then they saw it, Tetsusaiga, lodged in the bark of one of the trees. The blade must have been knocked free with a powerful force, and Inuyasha must not have had time to retrieve it. The oni must have gotten the upper hand shortly afterwards, thus resulting in Inuyasha’s transformation. But one thing was troublesome, though. They had both believed that Kagome had most likely gotten Inuyasha to calm down by subduing him and then quickly giving him his sword, the most tried and true method used for getting him to revert back into his hanyou form. So if the Tetsusaiga was still lodged in the tree where it had flown once Inuyasha had initially lost his grip of it, then how had he changed back into a hanyou? Had the transformation just…worn off? That didn’t seem likely. And what of Kagome? As they had originally been following after the pull of Inuyasha’s demonic aura, Miroku had sensed their hanyou friend’s youki go from its transformed state straight into almost nonexistence, which had indicated to him that Inuyasha had probably fallen asleep, or much more likely under the circumstances, had been knocked unconscious. But what could have done that to him, truly? Had Kagome been forced to purify him? Was the disappearance of his demonic aura actually the result of him temporarily turning human? Miroku did know that if that were the case, the purification had been temporary, because he could now sense a stronger pull from Inuyasha’s youki, their friend’s aura once more back at the normal levels he was used to. The hanyou was definitely awake, and definitely a hanyou again. Knowing that regardless of what had happened, Inuyasha was at least physically unharmed, both the monk and slayer remained mostly concerned about what had become of their miko friend. Kagome would probably never forgive herself if she had been forced to hurt Inuyasha with her spiritual powers, and Inuyasha would definitely never forgive himself if he had come after her in his full-youkai state.
Quickly going about the clearing collecting as many of Kagome’s arrows as could be salvaged, Sango then headed over to the Tetsusaiga, gripping the blade firmly and wiggling it up and down a few times as she pulled until it eventually came free. Miroku gathered Kagome’s fallen bow and quiver, taking the arrows and sword from Sango while the slayer worried her bottom lip at the sight of the miko’s discarded weapon.
“You know how she is.” Miroku spoke up, reading her worry. “Inuyasha probably ran off in his transformation, perhaps giving chase of the oni if it managed to escape for a moment, and Kagome-sama most likely ran after him.”
“Without taking him Tetsusaiga?” the slayer questioned.
He sighed in answer, truthfully sharing her concerns.
Kirara mewed in that moment, indicating the way to continue, and stepping inline behind the feline, they followed her to their answers. It didn’t take too long for them to find themselves in another, smaller clearing, with the sound of a stream trickling in the background. At first glance, the place almost seemed tranquil, until one took notice of the rotting oni corpse dismembered off to the side.
“Well, it seems that Inuyasha was ultimately victorious.” Miroku stated, almost emotionlessly, as their primary concern at the moment remained Kagome.
“Houshi-sama!” Sango cried suddenly, immediately earning the monk’s attention. He felt his heart leap up into his throat when he saw what Sango was holding, the tattered remains of Kagome’s school uniform.
Kirara’s meow got both of their attentions in that moment, as she sniffed and pawed around in an area on the grass that seemed flattened, as if someone had laid there. As they examined the ground more closely, both humans took note of how the area was actually coated in little droplets of blood. Blood splatter was everywhere, and it was a fairly good distance away from the dead oni. While there wasn’t anywhere near enough blood to indicate another person’s death, neither Sango nor Miroku needed a heightened sense of smell to determine what had happened on that flattened patch of grass.
Sniffing slowly, Kirara tracked the miko and hanyou’s scents down to the edge of the spring, and turning her head to mew at her companions, she took off downstream. Miroku and Sango immediately ran after her, not seeing anything right away as they followed the curve of the forest, though as soon as they rounded the bend they each felt a tremendous wave of relief wash over them. Had they been wrong, after all?
There was Inuyasha, crouched down by the edge of the water, washing his hands. And there was Kagome, dressed in Inuyasha’s suikan, sitting not too far away on a low bolder, a distinctly happy expression on her face as she turned to greet their approach.
“Hey guys.” she said in a fairly normal tone of voice.
“Kagome-chan!” Sango cried in relief, running up to her friend.
She didn’t miss the mark on Kagome’s shoulder, which the miko hadn’t even bothered trying to hide with her hair, and immediately, the sinking feeling in the pit of Sango’s stomach was back with a vengeance at the realization that they hadn’t been wrong, after all. Or at least not entirely.
“Kagome-chan, are you…okay?” she asked her friend quietly, the shredded remains of white and green cloth still clutched firmly in her hands.
“I’m fine, Sango-chan.” Kagome answered, though she didn’t look ‘fine’ by the taijiya’s standards.
Looking the miko over, Sango noticed several injuries, and could only imagine how many more the fire-rat robe was concealing. Kagome had nasty, albeit thin slashes running down both arms, and what she could see of her legs, her shoes and socks speckled with blood. She obviously got those slashes during her ‘undressing’. She also had a matching set of deep puncture wounds on her shoulders that also looked like they were caused by claws, probably from being gripped tightly, not to mention the bite mark further in on her right shoulder, halfway on her neck, and that mark could only mean one thing.
Standing up from her seat on the bolder while her friend looked her over, Kagome could smell Sango’s concern and knew it was only a matter of time before the questions started.
“Kagome, what happened?” Sango asked then, her eyes flicking to Inuyasha’s position for a moment before shifting back to meet Kagome’s gaze. Inuyasha was well within earshot, though the hanyou appeared to be ignoring them as he concentrated on scrubbing his hands, a few grumbled curses leaving his lips on occasion.
Seeing the way Sango shifted her gaze to Inuyasha, Kagome too turned to look over her shoulder in his direction, wondering what she should say in his presence. They had barely gotten things worked out between them when their friends arrived, so the subject was definitely still a touchy one, especially if the way he cursed at the lingering scent of her blood on his hands was any indication.
Turning back Sango’s way, Kagome shrugged the best she could, not missing the way Sango’s eyes darted to her mark for a second, before she stated, “Well, as I’m sure you guys probably sensed, Inuyasha transformed during his battle with the oni, but he was able to kill it in the end, so when we go back to pick up Shippou-chan we can inform the village headman that his people no longer have anything to worry about.”
“Kagome-chan…” Sango sighed, leaning forward to pull her friend into a hug while simultaneously whispering in her ear… “I was so scared. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that you were in trouble, and now look at you.”
“I’m fine, Sango-chan.” Kagome assured her friend quietly, though she was sure Inuyasha had heard both her and the slayer’s words.
“You are not fine.” Sango argued, though she knew it had to be hard on the miko. She knew how deeply Kagome loved Inuyasha, and it was true that the hanyou was not really himself during a transformation. She could believe that Kagome had it within her to forgive him almost anything, but even this?
“You’re injured.” she settled upon after a moment, still keeping her voice down. It wasn’t really any of her business, but then again Kagome was her friend, and the way she was acting so causal gave the slayer pause after a moment. “Were you able to stop him before…” She couldn’t say it, but she desperately needed to know.
“Before…?” Kagome echoed with a raised eyebrow.
“You know…” Sango hinted.
Sudden splashing caught both of their attentions as they turned to glance in Inuyasha’s direction, observing with mixed emotions the way he suddenly stomped through the spring, heading further downstream along the opposite bank, Miroku in quick pursuit from their side of the water.
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Though Miroku couldn’t hear their conversation, he knew what Sango was likely asking Kagome about. Whatever truths might be revealed, the monk was relieved to know that she was relatively uninjured, and, judging by her disposition, she was also in good spirits. When he caught glimpse of Inuyasha stomping off further downstream from the other side of the spring, he took it upon himself to follow.
Realizing that Inuyasha’s hearing might be better than Sango had anticipated, it occurred to Miroku that Inuyasha had likely overheard something he probably wished he hadn’t. Guessing then that he’d also hear him, he called out before he reached within what would have been a human’s earshot.
“Inuyasha! Please, may I speak with you a moment?”
The lack of sarcasm mixed with genuine concern he detected in the monk’s voice prompted him to stop, though he didn’t turn around, nor say anything even as Miroku reached him and stopped parallel to him, their positions only separated by the stream.
“Could you come over here please?” Miroku asked politely.
Still without turning to look at his friend, Inuyasha finally spoke, though only one word at first. “Why?”
“Because I would like to speak with you, if I may.” was Miroku’s response.
“Keh, I can hear you just fine.”
“That’s not all….”
That got Inuyasha’s attention, as he turned his head ever so slightly, so he could glance his eyes sideways at the monk who stood at the edge of the water on the opposite bank.
“I have your sword.” Miroku stated, as he held out Tetsusaiga for his friend to take, despite the reach being much too far where Inuyasha currently stood.
“Keh” was his only response as he stomped back through the water rather than leaping over it, which he easily could have done, not carrying how much he was splashing as he got Miroku more than a little wet, grabbing Tetsusaiga as he trudged passed the houshi before plopping himself down against the back of the closest tree.
Turning to approach his friend, ignoring his now soaked left leg for the moment, Miroku walked right up to where Inuyasha sat. Sitting down before his friend, the houshi suddenly grabbed the sides of Inuyasha’s face, in order to look into his eyes.
“What the hell is your problem?” the hanyou spat as he swatted Miroku’s hands away.
In that instant, Miroku was convinced he saw the red and puffy after effects of crying in his friend’s eyes. Taking a gamble on what his reaction was going to be, he said the first thing that came to his mind, knowing too, like Sango, exactly what had transpired.
“You do love her, do you not?”
“Of course I love her!” was not the immediate response Miroku had been expecting, nor was it honestly the response Inuyasha had intended to give, though the words had simply come bubbling up from within him before he could hold them back. He was going to be more open with his emotions from that point onward, he realized, thanks to Kagome’s influence, her very essence residing within him because of their bond.
Taken aback by the unexpected admittance, Miroku tried to think of the best thing to say next. He immediately recalled the beautiful smile Kagome had graced them with upon his and Sango’s initial arrival.
“She does not seem to be too upset regarding current events.” the monk commented then.
He both heard and saw Inuyasha sigh, as the hanyou slumped himself back against the tree he was leaning against.
“She…” he began, barely a whisper. “She isn’t upset, she forgives me.” He sounded displeased with that fact.
“And you do not want her forgiveness?” Miroku asked for clarification.
“I don’t deserve it.”
“But would that not be for Kagome-sama to decide?”
Growling low in frustration, Inuyasha glared across at Miroku as he stated, “I’m supposed to protect her, not go after her like some kind of animal.”
“Is that what happened?”
“I…I don’t remember.” he confessed, his words once again barely more than a whisper.
“Well, then…” Miroku began, doing his best to sound as cheery as he figured the situation would allow. “Maybe things are not as bad as you fear. After all, I doubt she would have been sporting that big smile of hers if it was so horrible, right?”
Inuyasha glared at Miroku, his lip curling in disgust, causing the monk to raise his hands placatingly.
“I’m not trying to be a hentai right now, Inuyasha, but maybe she was willing. After all, we all know how much she loves you.”
Inuyasha shook his head.
“You…” he began hesitantly, his voice catching in his throat as he looked down at his ‘clean’ hands, the scent of Kagome’s blood still lingering under his claws. “You didn’t see…what I did…to her body.”
Miroku looked down at his friend’s hands when he saw Inuyasha examining them in such a way that it suggested he was horrified with his own being. Sighing, the monk knew he could only imagine, and he didn’t really want to imagine it. It was clear Inuyasha had awoken from his transformation with Kagome’s blood on his claws. But at least the miko appeared to be relatively unharmed, so that had to count for something, right? Suddenly noticing something else, above his hand and concealed mostly by the narrow sleeve of his kosode, Miroku reached forward before the hanyou had time to pull back from his grasp.
Inuyasha had been so enthralled with his own hands at that moment that he didn’t register the motion of Miroku reaching for him until it was too late, his right hand gripped firmly in his friend’s own. Seeing the purple cloth and sealing beads quickly reminded the hanyou that he wasn’t the only one among them with dangerous hands, yet Miroku never let his curse get him down, did he? If anything, he used it for comic relief at times, claiming it was the ‘cursed hand’ that caused him to grope Sango so shamelessly, or falling back on his need for an heir to excuse his inappropriate propositioning of random village girls. As the hanyou continued to gaze down at his hand now held in Miroku’s grasp, it took him a moment to register the monk’s voice.
“Instead of focusing on those…” Miroku began, running his fingers carefully over Inuyasha’s claws before gripping the edge of his sleeve, pushing the white fabric up to expose Kagome’s bonding mark. “Why don’t you focus on this?” he asked.
“Kagome…” Inuyasha sighed under his breath, still smelling her scent in his mark, the initial wound left from his own fangs completely healed by that point to reveal an incandescent scar in the shape of Kagome’s own teeth, no trace of his own saliva present in its scent.
Miroku had not been close enough to Kagome to take note of the mark on her neck, but he knew a bonding mark when he saw a bonding mark, and in order for Kagome to have finalized the union, it obviously meant that Inuyasha had marked her first, or her human teeth wouldn’t have possessed such magic. His mark upon Kagome could have been forced, but it would fade without meaning if the bond weren’t completed.
“If you simply went after her like an animal…” Miroku began again after a moment, repeating Inuyasha’s earlier words back to him. “Would she have marked you?”
Inuyasha’s response was to drag his eyes up away from his mark to meet Miroku’s gaze, his golden eyes wavering with unshed tears before suddenly pulling the man before him into a hug.
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< br> Sighing as she observed Miroku chase after her mate, Kagome turned back to meet Sango’s eyes, her initial hesitance to be blunt suddenly nonexistent as she asked the slayer point blank, “You want to know if he raped me, right?”
Sango faltered for a moment, but then swallowing hard, she nodded, her eyes locked with her friend’s.
“He didn’t rape me, Sango-chan.”
“But…” the slayer began, hesitantly glancing down to the shredded clothing in her hands, which included Kagome’s underwear. “But that is a claiming mark, Kagome-chan. He wouldn’t have given you that if he didn’t plan on-”
“I didn’t say we didn’t have sex.” the miko interrupted, causing Sango to snap her mouth shut, her eyes wide in shock, mostly at Kagome’s boldness. “Inuyasha didn’t rape me, but he did mate with me, and I…” Pausing at the memory, a genuine smile grew across Kagome’s lips as she added, “…and I willingly mated him in return. He bears my mark, we are bonded.”
Sango gasped at that revelation. Kagome had willfully drank of his blood in return, completing the bond? But still…
The miko couldn’t miss the way Sango gazed back down at her shredded clothing one last time.
“I’ll admit it,” the miko confessed with a bizarre fondness in her voice that seemed inappropriate to the slayer given their current subject, “He was very rough in the beginning, but I don’t think he meant to hurt me. After shredding my clothes, he took the time to clean each of my wounds with his tongue.”
Kagome blushed suddenly, not at that confession, but at the reminder of just what else he had done with that talented tongue of his.
“And you are certain that you are not truly injured?” Sango asked for clarification, needing to be sure.
“He didn’t seriously injure me at all, nothing’s broken or bruised. Aside from some shallow cuts and a couple of deeper puncture wounds, I’m fine, and thanks to the youkai blood in my system, I should be completely healed in a day.”
Sango couldn’t deny the sincerity of her friend’s words. It would also appear that she hadn’t been broken mentally, though the slayer did want to take a moment to make absolutely sure her friend was all right in that department before Inuyasha and Miroku returned.
“And he didn’t force you to drink his blood, completing the bond against your will?”
“Uh…” Kagome hesitated with a silly grin. “He was kind of insistent, you could say, but I did know what it meant, thanks to our talk from before, and I did comply without resisting him. I don’t regret the snap decision. You know how long I’ve loved him. And now he’s chosen me. Me, not Kikyou; he knew it was me he was mating, even in his full-youkai state.” Kagome explained with a giant grin. “He said my name.”
Kagome saw the persistent look of concern finally melt from her friend’s gaze at those words, as Sango came to accept the fact that Kagome truly was all right in mind, body and soul. The girls continued to talk, then, more like how Kagome had always imagined talking with her best girlfriend about her first sexual experience with a guy, sans some of the more intimate details, of course. She explained to Sango in greater detail how she had first approached Inuyasha after he’d killed the oni, and how he had not acted hostile towards her at all, but rather, had immediately called her ‘Mine’ and ‘Mate’, as he began undressing her. Kagome was still confused as to how Inuyasha had switched modes so unexpectedly, but the youkai mind was a confusing thing for humans to understand. A lot of it had to do with instinct. Sango explained in that moment that Inuyasha had likely recognized the fact that he knew her and that she was not a threat, and considering her love for him, something else he would have been able to sense in her, it had been a logical deduction for his simplistic mind to conclude that she was his mate. The fact that they had not yet been bonded at the time was probably what had driven him to complete the act right then and there, wanting to make sure she was properly claimed before somebody else could take her away. Whatever the reason, it was over and done with now. Kagome was his, and he was hers, and despite the mildly traumatic and unexpected way it had come about, Kagome honestly couldn’t be happier. Yes, if she were given the option, she would change how their first encounter had gone down, but if she were given the opportunity simply to erase what had been, going back to the way things used to be between them, then she would tell whatever wizard had offered her that option to forget it. She was Inuyasha’s mate and that was how it was going to stay.
Kagome then went on to explain to Sango all of the various changes she’d noticed in herself since their bond had taken effect, including her heightened senses and her ability to ‘smell’ emotions, for lack of a better description. She had also realized that she could actually sense Inuyasha’s emotions on an even deeper level than she could scent the mood of others, almost as if she could feel his very heart within her own. She hadn’t realized just how strongly she could sense Inuyasha’s emotions until Miroku and Sango had shown up, and she’d realized that while she could still smell their moods, she couldn’t really feel them like she could Inuyasha. It wasn’t just one-sided, either, the slayer informed her friend in that moment. Inuyasha could undoubtedly sense Kagome just as strongly as she could sense him, though that was perfectly all right with the miko. She loved the idea of her and Inuyasha sharing such a deep connection, as they each had a little part of the other living inside of them. Sango also told the miko that Inuyasha would probably become more open with his emotions, even as she teased her friend that she had better not develop any of Inuyasha’s less than favorable personality traits.
“Feh.” Kagome replied, only in jest, causing both of the girls to laugh.
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Inuyasha pulled back from the hug as quickly as he’d leaned forward, humiliated at his unplanned show of emotion, though he was inwardly rejoicing at the knowledge that he had such a good friend. Miroku accepted him for what he was, and had gotten him to see that he wasn’t really the monster he’d feared himself to be. Inuyasha did know that Kagome still loved him, and he and the miko had already established that everything between them would be okay, but part of him had still been terrified over what their friends’ reactions were going to be. That was why he hadn’t been able to hang around listening to Sango beat around the bush, trying to get it out of Kagome whether or not he’d raped her. It didn’t matter what answer his mate gave the slayer, the truth was the truth, and the truth was that he had forced himself upon her, regardless of whatever she tried to say in his defense. He didn’t need to remember what had happened, the slash marks on her body were the only proof he needed. Still, since she forgave him, and Miroku didn’t appear to have a problem with him, he would do whatever he could to put it all behind him. Kagome was his mate now, and in the end, that was really all that mattered.
It was with that last thought in mind that the hanyou decided they should probably get back to the others, as he rose to his feet before offering a hand to assist Miroku up. The simple gesture did not go unnoticed by the houshi, considering Inuyasha’s previous reservations about his hands. If he could trust himself so soon to use those same hands to help a friend, then he would be just fine. Turning to head back upstream, then, Inuyasha began rubbing the mark on his arm in a similar way to how they had each rubbed their marks earlier, figuring Kagome would probably feel it and understand the sensation to mean that they were on their way back.
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The girls continued to talk for a few minutes longer until Kagome suddenly paused, reaching a hand up to her neck.
“Is something the matter?” Sango asked with mild concern.
“No, Inuyasha was just calling me. I think he and Miroku are on their way back.”
“Well, it’s getting late, and this seems to be a fairly secluded location, so we should probably just camp out here for the rest of the night before returning to the village.” Sango stated then, not getting any complaints from the miko. Their current position downstream was far enough away from the oni’s remains that they shouldn’t be bothered by any scavengers.
Kagome’s response was to nod as she stood up, lifting her arm to wave to the two approaching figures in the distance.